Back and neck pain
Persistent spinal pain, with or without pain travelling into the limbs.
About this condition
Back and neck pain is one of the most common reasons people in the UK seek medical help. Most episodes settle within weeks, but for some the pain continues for months or years. Causes include degenerative disc change, facet joint pain, muscle deconditioning, previous injury and, in some cases, nerve compression that sends pain into an arm or leg.
Long standing spinal pain is rarely solved by one treatment. Care usually combines movement, strength work, pain relief and attention to sleep and mood, because all of these feed into how severe the pain feels. A specialist assessment looks at imaging where it exists, previous physiotherapy, and how the pain limits your daily activity.
Treatments people usually try first
These are the treatments commonly offered in the UK for this condition. A specialist doctor will want to know which of them you have tried, and what happened.
- Non steroidal anti inflammatory medicines and paracetamol
- Physiotherapy, manual therapy and graded strength work
- Nerve pain medicines where pain radiates into a limb
- Facet joint injections or epidural steroid injections
- Pain management programmes and psychological support
- Spinal surgery in a small number of clearly indicated cases
Could medical cannabis be appropriate?
People with this condition sometimes ask whether medical cannabis could be appropriate for them. That is a question for a specialist doctor, who will look at your diagnosis, your history and everything you have already tried before saying anything either way.
Medical cannabis is an unlicensed prescription only medicine in the UK. It is considered only where a diagnosed condition has not responded adequately to conventional treatment, and it is never a first step. We cannot tell you in advance what might be prescribed, and UK law does not allow us to describe or advertise any medicine on this website.
What we can do is assess you properly and be honest with you. If a specialist doctor does not think this route is right for you, they will say so, and they will explain why.
All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and eligibility.
Questions about back and neck pain
Chronic pain
Other conditions in this category
YOUR NEXT STEP
Find out where you stand, free.
The eligibility check takes 30 seconds and carries no commitment. All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and eligibility.
Check your eligibility